Legionnaries' Update

This is the latest update from the Scottish Government Resilience Room (SGoRR) on the Edinburgh Legionnaires’ disease outbreak show that there are now 24 confirmed cases and 37 suspected cases.

Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said that as at 12pm today (Thursday), of those cases being treated in hospital, 12 were in intensive care and 28 are on general wards.

A total of 13 cases are being treated in the community, five have been discharged from hospital and one person has sadly died.

Two cases are being treated outwith the NHS Lothian area – one in Highland and one in the north of England. Both of these cases are being treated as part of the south west Edinburgh outbreak and have connections to the area.

People that are being admitted to hospital with symptoms are now generally speaking in a better state of health than has previously been the case. The ages of those affected now ranges between 19 and 88, with more males than females affected.

As of yesterday, NHS 24 had received 48 calls to the dedicated helpline. However, there was a 20 per cent increase in the number of calls to their regular number about Legionnaire’s disease.

The investigation into the source of the outbreak is continuing, with all 16 cooling towers in the affected area now having been inspected.

Those cooling towers which were considered to possibly require re-treating are now undergoing this process.

Sturgeon said: “It is a positive sign that those people being admitted to hospital are, generally speaking, less ill than had been the case at the start of the outbreak and we are seeing an increase in the numbers of people well enough to be treated in the community.

“NHS Lothian services are busy but coping and I would like to pay tribute to NHS staff who are coping extremely well with this situation.

“It remains the case that the risk to the general public remains low but anyone with concerns should contact their GP or NHS 24’s dedicated hotline on 0800 0858 531.

“I want to stress that this bacteria is not passed on person to person or by drinking water.

“Investigations into the source of this outbreak, which are primarily led by the City of Edinburgh Council and the Health and Safety Executive and supported by Health Protection Scotland, are making good progress. I would hope that over the next few days this investigation will start to deliver answers about where the source of the outbreak might be. However, it is important to note that sometimes it is not possible to conclusively identify a source."

The Scottish Government is providing daily updates at noon Friday, Saturday and Sunday.